Chapter 697: If I’m Not Good Enough, Neither Are You

Translator:

Atlas Studios

Editor:

Atlas Studios

Lin Che nodded. She looked at Gu Xiande and followed him inside.

Gu Xiande’s study room looked extremely stylish. The color scheme was vintage and the tall bookshelves were piled high with various books.

Gu Xiande sat down and gestured for Lin Che to sit as well.

He looked at Lin Che and said, “Don’t be nervous. I called you here just to give you this present for your wedding. Even though you’ve been married for so long, having a wedding ceremony is a happy occasion, right?”

He pa.s.sed Lin Che a box. Lin Che froze and took it from him. She opened it only to find a jade pendant.

The pendant looked slightly antique. At a glance, it had an imposing manner to it. Coupled with Gu Xiande’s status, Lin Che was sure that this item was of considerable value.

“Grandfather, this…” Lin Che wanted to ask what this was and whether it was very precious. She was worried that something would happen to such a priceless item if it was placed in her care, given how clumsy she was.

Gu Xiande said, “This is an heirloom left behind by Jingze’s grandmother. Your Mother-In-Law has one, and now you do too.”

“Huh?”

Gu Xiande looked at her and said, “Little Che, I really do like you. You say such sweet words and you’re completely unrestrained. You’ve brought a lot of joy to our family. I know that you’re a good woman, but…”

Lin Che’s heart sank abruptly for no reason.

As she looked at Gu Xiande, she kept feeling uncomfortable.

Gu Xiande said, “But you’ve also seen how your Mother-In-Law is. You’re different from her. She has lived in this environment since she was very young. After she married Jingze’s father, she naturally started to help me run this household. Little Che, let me ask you. Do you think you have what it takes to run this household with more than a hundred people with your mother-in-law?”

“I…” Lin Che had never thought that she would have to do these things. Of course, she was not as formidable as Mu Wanqing and did not know how to do these things either.

Gu Xiande looked at Lin Che’s expression and smiled at her. “Little Che, you’re not suitable for Jingze.”

Lin Che’s heart jolted.

Gu Xiande shook his head and said, “If our family was ordinary or if Jingze wasn’t Jingze but Jingyu or Jingming, you wouldn’t have to bother with anything and just be Madam Gu. However, Jingze bears the responsibility of the entire Gu family on his shoulders. I thought that he would be responsible for the entire Gu family since he was young. Thus, to attain this goal, he must be absolutely rational. He cannot be swayed by his emotions. Back then, I already predicted some problems with Mo Huiling. But fortunately, he merely opposed me for some time before understanding his own position, so he did not stubbornly rebel to the end.”

Feeling slightly uneasy, Lin Che leaned backward and looked at Gu Xiande.

Then, Gu Xiande refocused his attention and said, “When your mother-in-law told me that you and Gu Jingze had definitely had s.e.xual relations, I merely wanted to kill two birds with one stone, so I forced him to marry you. Little Che, you’re a good woman, but you will only drag him down.”

“Grandfather.” Lin Che looked at Gu Xiande and continued as if in slight disappointment, “I thought that you were Gu Jingze’s good grandfather, but right now, I’m a little disappointed in you.”

Gu Xiande froze. How dare she speak to him this way?

Lin Che said, “Killing two birds with one stone… Back then, you wanted Gu Jingze to marry me to tear Gu Jingze and Mo Huiling apart on one hand and to find him a woman he could not possibly like on the other hand. In that way, he would be the rational puppet of the Gu family, right?”

Gu Xiande narrowed his eyes even more.

Lin Che smiled. “Grandfather, you’re right. I’m not worthy of Gu Jingze. Of course, I feel that my status, my family background, my personality, and my educational qualifications are no match for Gu Jingze. But you’re not worthy of Gu Jingze either. He’s a great person but you’re a terrible grandfather.”

“You…”

Lin Che said, “You’ve already failed once but you still haven’t learned your lesson until now. You still don’t understand that you can’t control a person’s future. That’s G.o.d’s job, not yours. So in the first place, you can’t control Gu Jingze’s life according to your wishes. Without me, there would still be another woman who would give Gu Jingze warmth. Therefore, I’m definitely not the one who’s dragging him down. You are. You’re the one who made him feel that the world is cold as ice. That’s why he’s easily attracted to warm things because that’s what he lacks in his life. I gave him warmth, so he wanted to be together with me. Perhaps all of this happened not because of how great I am but because his life has been terrible. He’s like a child who has never eaten candy. When someone gives him candy, he thinks that he has gone to heaven even though that’s just candy. I am indeed terrible, but you should reflect on yourself too.”

“You… Lin Che, get out!”

Lin Che drew in a breath and stood up. “Grandfather, don’t get too angry. Indeed, I’m not worthy of Gu Jingze. I’m not good at anything. But at least at times like these, I should step forward and defend our relations.h.i.+p. Only then would I be worthy of everything that Gu Jingze has done for me.”

Gu Xiande’s eyes were twitching as he looked at Lin Che.

He had always thought that she was a little la.s.s who did not know how to retaliate. But he had been wrong.

He said, “Get out. Get out right now!”

Lin Che bowed and looked at Gu Xiande. Then, she walked out on her own.

While she could not win against these veterans in certain areas, she could not give up so easily either.

Furthermore, she had meant every word she said. Grandfather had taken it too far. With the way he spoke about Gu Jingze, what did he treat Gu Jingze as?

How could it be that the Gu family was important, but Gu Jingze himself was not?

Ultimately, he was a person too, not a tool.

How could anyone be born to head a household? How could anyone be born destined not to have his own personal life?

But… she knew for a fact that she was a slight burden on Gu Jingze.

—

In the room, Gu Xiande felt a little fl.u.s.tered from being criticized.

He was in the wrong and he knew it, but…

The Gu family had always been run this way. He was old and felt physically poor. He knew that his body was getting worse and worse and he barely had a few years left. If Jingze made a mistake again at a time like this…

He would not die content.

Subconsciously, he had a feeling that Lin Che would become Gu Jingze’s Achilles’ Heel.

But the head of a household could not have any weakness.

He held the door for support and suddenly began coughing violently.

The doctor quickly walked in from behind. “Old Master, the breeze at the window is strong. It’s bad for your body. You should go in.”

Gu Xiande waved his hand. “I know that my illness can’t be cured. Don’t waste your effort on restoring my health either.”

“Old Master, what are you saying…”

“But I still can’t die for the time being. No matter how much money I spend, make sure that I can stay alive. I’ll live another day if I can!”